ethnology

noun

eth·nol·o·gy | \ eth-ˈnä-lə-jē

Definition of ethnology

1 : a branch of cultural anthropology dealing chiefly with the comparative and analytical study of cultures broadly : cultural anthropology

2 dated : a science that deals with the division of human beings into races and their origin, distribution, relations, and characteristics

Other Words from ethnology Example Sentences Learn More about ethnology

Keep scrolling for more

Other Words from ethnology

ethnological \ ˌeth-nə-ˈlä-ji-kəl

\ or less commonly ethnologic \ ˌeth-nə-ˈlä-jik

\ adjective

ethnologist \ eth-ˈnä-lə-jist

\ noun

Examples of ethnology in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Academy committee incorporated much of Powell’s report into their own, nevertheless watering it down considerably by passing over ethnology and his ideas about engineering the landscape. — Johnforristerross, Longreads, "Taming the Great American Desert," 2 July 2018 Margaret began her master’s degree in ethnology and museum ethnography at Oxford and decided to stay and pursue her doctorate in cultural anthropology. — M.a.c. Lynch, courant.com, "Love Story: African Decathlete and American Rower On Love Safari," 10 June 2018 Once established as the autocrat, Hitler went back to reading nothing but trash ethnology and the westerns of Karl May, whereas Stalin went back to reading Dickens, Chekhov, Gogol, Hemingway, Zola, Balzac, Maupassant and Oscar Wilde. — Martin Amis, New York Times, "Martin Amis on Lenin’s Deadly Revolution," 16 Oct. 2017 Kay Fowler, who also was at the Smithsonian, recovered Powell’s manuscripts from 1867-1880 at the ethnology bureau, and the two then collated, annotated and published them in 1971. — Alicia Ault, Smithsonian, "Telling the Story of 19th-Century Native American Treasures Through Bird Feathers," 14 June 2017 Kay Fowler, who also was at the Smithsonian, recovered Powell’s manuscripts from 1867-1880 at the ethnology bureau, and the two then collated, annotated and published them in 1971. — Alicia Ault, Smithsonian, "Telling the Story of 19th-Century Native American Treasures Through Bird Feathers," 14 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ethnology.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.